At 6:30am on Wednesday, November 5th, with some nerves in my belly and a little trepidation, my wife and I set off on our journey to the Miami Man Triathlon, which was to take place on Sunday, November 9th.
On that fateful Wednesday, our day began with us getting on a ferry to leave our little Caribbean island home of Culebra and heading to San Juan International Airport where we would board a flight that would have us arriving in Miami at 5:00pm that same afternoon.
I have thought about doing a triathlon for many years now and the Miami Man International Distance Triathlon was going to be my first. The race also held particular significance for me because as co-founder of Train for Humanity this was part of my commitment to the humanitarian organization that Dan, Andrew, Leo, and I have created.
On Saturday, November 8, after visiting some relatives and doing some shopping during the previous days, it was now bike check-in and registration time. The race was to be on Sunday and as I stood in line to get my official number, there was NO turning back.
Sunday morning we awoke early at 5:00am as we had to get to the Larry & Penny Thompson Park park by 6:00am or else we could not park the car.
The 1/2 IronMan race was to start at 7:00 and the International Distance, of which I was a participant, would get started promptly at 8:00 (with my age group beginning at 8:10).
Watching the elite athletes and then various factions of groups from the half-ironman I felt somewhat calm, but in the back of my mind I knew that I would soon be at the starting line and swimming the .6miles (geeze those buoys looked far!).
At 7:45, under pleasant sunny skies, I made my way to the swimmer entrance area and surveyed the other athletes and participants. After nervously standing around and waiting for twenty minutes, the announcer finally broadcast that it was time for the men’s age group 40-44 to come to the front and prepare to get started.
The last thing I remember hearing was the announcer saying was that he was going to do a count down from the one-minute mark.
And with that “GO,” we were off like a pack of wild water buffalo.
.6-Mile Swim
Since it was my first event I chose to start in the back so I didn’t get in anybody’s way. The water was a little chilly but I was determined to get into a rhythm and breathe. At about the halfway point we started swimming due east, which was directly into the rising sun. I literally couldn’t see a thing because of the blinding glow….so I just kept going and hoped I was heading in the right direction.
When we hit the final turn we passed the shore area where all of the spectators were waiting and I tried to get a glimpse of Terrie, but all I could see through my foggy goggles was a jumble of bodies shouting and screaming.
The swim actually went surprisingly well and I was in and out of the water in a little over twenty minutes, so it was time to head for the transition area and jump on the bike.
24-Mile Bike The good…ride was all flat and the bad…I didn’t do enough speed work prep and watched everybody blow passed me :(
When I fist arrived at my bike (thank you Andante Bikes of Miami!) I joked to the guy next to me, “That swim wasn’t that bad, huh?” To which he replied, “Speak for yourself!” And thus ended my attempts at making small talk in the transition area…
The bike race was kind of funny and I must say that early on, even when checking in, I was a little intimidated by all of the expensive, triathlon specific, race bikes that I saw.
Indeed, my initial thoughts proved correct and before I knew it, most of those folks with fancy bikes (all of the people I had passed during the swim) were blazing by me. I kept telling myself that my goal was to finish and since I did not have any idea on the bike course as to how far I had gone, or how much further until the finish, I rode rather conservatively.
The majority of the bike portion went through flat, rural Miami and it was rather windy with hurricane Paloma passing nearby. By the time I made it around the final turn, unclipped my shoes, and coasted into the transition area I was really looking forward to the run and still felt both mentally and physically strong.
6.6-Mile Run
Upon dismounting the bike and slipping into my running sneaks I must say, I felt great! While tying my shoes I even took a moment to think about Train for Humanity and the over 2.5 to 3 million women, children, and men who have been displaced in Darfur due to genocide. Any pain I had been feeling dissipated quickly.
Trotting out of the transition I took one cup of Powerade and one of water, drank them down, and plodded on.
My legs felt a little heavy, but I knew I could do the distance no problem and was mainly concerned with keeping a steady pace and having a strong finish.
Part of the run went through the Miami Zoo, of which I don’t remember much, but I distinctly remember the elephants, gorillas, and lots of families, kids, and tourists enjoying themselves (seemingly oblivious to all of the grunting and groaning runners passing by). The course then went out into a large, non-descript parking area for an out and back loop before returning to the final section that would lead to the finish.
Finish Line
Because I made the rookie mistake of not reading the race literature clearly enough, and thus didn’t notice the mile markers that were laid out on the course, I didn’t really have any idea how much distance I had gone, or needed to go, to reach the finish. As such, I decided that I would not turn it on in the run too much until I could clearly hear the announcer’s voice over the microphone at the finish line.
When I finally reached the road that had all of the cars parked along the side that belonged to participants and spectators I knew it couldn’t be too much further.
All of a sudden, the number of people sitting in lounge chairs and cheering grew steadily larger as I continued to run. Until, at last, I could hear the names of the finishers being announced at what I guess was a around a half-mile from the finish.
It was time to speed up.
By this time in the race I’ll admit, I was not feeling all that great. I had a tiny stitch in my left side and I think the energy that I had put forth during the previous two segments had finally caught up with me. But, I tried to take a couple of deep breaths; I looked ahead, realized I could pass some people, and motored as hard as I possibly could for the finish.
A few minutes later, it was over…I was done. I DID it.
Final Times
Total Time: 2:38:19.000
.6 mile Swim Time: 23:57
T1 Time: 6:19
24 mile Bike Time: 1:9:15
T2 Time: 3:37
6.6 mile Run Time: 55:11
Overall Place: 176
Gender Place: 130
Category Place: 29
The triathlon was tremendous fun. I was a little mad at myself for not being in better shape and pushing myself harder, but the goal was to finish and I did that…rookie mistakes not withstanding!!
(Note: the situation in Darfur continues to get worse. Dan and I are done with our events, but Leo will be participating in the Honolulu Marathon on December 14th. If you believe in what we are trying to do with Train for Humanity, please consider sponsoring him. Or, if you blog, are on FaceBook or Twittter help us to get the word out.
We are still working on details for phase two but we are looking forward to having some new participant athletes and continuing to grow our organization.)
On Sunday, October 26th, the first of three Train for Humanity pilot project events kicked off as I set out to complete the Niagara Falls Half Marathon.
The weather looked iffy heading into the race, with forecasts of wind warnings, rain, and cool temperatures, but I bundled up a set out for the start line. Fortunately, the rain didn’t materialize, the temperature was reasonable, and the wind was behind me! That, combined with a relatively flat course made for a great race.
This race was also one of the more enthusiastic ones I’ve participated in - every water station was staffed by a regional high school in full school colors, and the students were fanatical supporters. By the time I passed through the stations, some of them had screamed themselves to the point of speechlessness, but kept going anyway. Great energy like that really makes a difference when you’re starting to tire towards the end of a race, and I definitely appreciated it.
The race finishes up right beside Niagara Falls - it was quite an experience heading toward the finish line with the falls thundering down in the background. And the end result? A half marathon finished, a personal best time of 1 hour and 50 minutes for me, and a bunch of funds raised for the Darfur Peace and Development Organization. Thanks to everyone for your support!
Good luck to Mark, who’s tackling the Miami Man Triathlon on November 9th, and Leo who’ll be running the Honolulu Marathon in December. They’d love your support, too - you can still sponsor them here.
Do you have an idea for a business that you would like to create, a vision that you want to pursue, and goals that you would like to accomplish? Or, are you looking to launch a non-profit organization?
Just about one month ago Leo Babauta, Dan Clements, Andrew Flusche, and I launched Train for Humanity, an innovative new humanitarian project to try and generate some awareness and raise funds for folks who are facing a dire situation.
We are bound in our belief that with a little creativity and independent thinking individuals can make a difference and effect positive change in the world.
In addition, we realize that many people are looking to capitalize on the web and use it as a tool to launch, promote, or grow a new or existing business. Train for Humanity, is of course, a non-profit, however, launching a humanitarian site is pretty much just like trying to launch any other type of organization or business.
As such, we felt that a one-month recap might be useful to you and help to give some initial insight into some of the mistakes we’ve made and what is working well.
Some Initial Thoughts
It was semi-surreal watching a project that I had been thinking about for so long come to fruition.
I was shocked, pleased, and humbled by the number of people who helped us to spread the message on launch day regarding what this new little humanitarian awareness and fundraising organization was about.
Saving the world is a massive undertaking. We aren’t out to save the world just yet, and we realize TFH is not perfect, but by combining everyday athletes getting fit, and the power of the internet, we are trying to do our part to help.
However, I am not going to lie to you, it has been tough, tougher than I thought to keep the momentum going. Train for Humanity is a new concept and people don’t necessarily know us, or what we are about. It’s my job to help them learn.
Ten Lessons Learned
1. Don’t wait to take action – Sounds cliché but instead of just reading those words, here is an example. I walked around and thought about Train for Humanity for about two years. In December we will end phase one with our three participant athletes and look forward to phase two, which should have somewhere between 50-100 participants. Imagine if I took action two years ago, we would probably be on phase ten by now and looking at 1000 participants. If you have an idea that you would like to pursue, do yourself a favor and GET started today.
2. It’s OUR cause – we realize that almost everyone is touched emotionally in some manner when they witness on T.V. what’s happening in Darfur. However, those same people are busy trying to conduct their lives for themselves and their families as best as possible, which means that folks aren’t always going to be moved beyond pity or empathy. Whether you’re looking to launch a business, product, or non-profit organization, it’s important to remember (and one thing I have certainly learned) that you always have to be educating the end user and your target market.
3. Social media promotion – can be a very tricky medium when using it to help spread the message about your organization or business. It’s hard to know when to ask for help even if you follow the Jeff Pulver model of giving 95% of the time and asking only 5%. In fact, I have noticed over the past month or so that every time I send out a Twitter message regarding Train for Humanity (or Darfur) I lose like three or four followers. Furthermore, if you consider the effort spent on various forms of social media and blogging it can be very time consuming, especially when writing guest posts for other sites. (Note: check out some of our guest posts at - FourHourWorkWeek, ProBlogger, ChrisBrogan, SuccessfulBlog, MarkSalinas)
4. Traditional media still has value – some might argue, but regular newspapers and news programs can still help to gain visibility. If we had the funds I just might have paid for a traditional press release.
5. Online acquaintances are supportive – not even a question, the people who I have met online either via blogging, Twitter or other means, have been more helpful, kind, and encouraging than my life long friends. Quite possibly, it’s due to the fact that some of my offline acquaintances don’t necessarily understand the power of the net, but I have been amazed with the support from online friends.
7. Don’t be afraid to ask for help – in tandem with the above, if you have an idea, want to launch something, or need advice, I have found that people are VERY giving with their time and will go out of their way to help.
8. Narrow your focus – one of the greatest mistakes we (I) made during phase one was keeping the focus too broad. Even though I felt that “providing funds and raising awareness for genocide refugees in Darfur” was a fairly focused message, I think people had trouble grasping on to the idea. With the bombing of Darfur Peace & Development’s Shegegkaro School we did eventually narrow our scope to try and get targeted funds to help rebuild. As soon as we put the school at the center of our efforts I saw a marked effect.
The last two items “learned” come as direct questions from Twitter after I asked, “Would you like to know anything specific about what we’ve learned one month after TFH launch.”
9. michelle4change re: ten lessons learned — what challenges do you face keeping people engaged and recruiting/keeping new advocates?
The challenges we face are mostly related to a lack of time. I run a fulltime business, Leo is a pro-blogger, Dan is an author, and Andrew is working on his law practice. As much as I try, sometimes emails don’t get answered for a day or so. But, if you read the future outlook below, we are going to have some contingency plans in place to help us grow.
10. seanbohan re: ten lessons learned — would love to know what expectations you had (re: community building) going in that were met/exceeded/or more imp., missed.
I did have greater expectations with respect to sponsorship and fundraising when we originally started. Although, from the point of, we created and founded “something” from “nothing” I am quite pleased with where we are at and where we are going. To date, over 100 bloggers have written about us and that’s with only three participant athletes. I am really excited to see what happens during phase two with 50-100 people. Slow growth is a good thing.
Future Outlook
The Train for Humanity board members are teleconferencing tomorrow and we will specifically be discussing where we hope to go and achieve during phase two.
What I hope to see in the near future will be to create a portal for like-minded individuals who want to get into shape and have their training go towards a humanitarian cause.
Specifically, we hope that all participants will have their own TrainforHumanity.org account, e.g. bobsmith.trainforhumanity.org, where they will be able to spread the word to family and friends about what they are doing and the humanitarian issues at hand. Additionally, we hope to integrate an invitation only Ning community into the site so that fellow participants have a place to gather, swap stories, and cheer each other on.
(Editor’s note: special thank you this week to Melissa McDaniel [her blog] who has been assisting with some promo for Train for Humanity.)
This coming Sunday, author and blogger, Dan Clements will be running the Niagara Falls International half-marathon for Train for Humanity, which is considered one of the fastest half marathons in Canada (Mainly because it’s really flat (read: easier). It finishes above the falls, where you can watch some 750,000 US gallons of water per SECOND pass over the edge. It’s quite a sight.
Interestingly, the Niagara Falls International Marathon really is “international”. It’s the only marathon in the world that starts in one country and finishes in another. The race starts in the United States, and ends in Canada, which means that all runners of the full marathon need to clear Canadian Customs & Immigration before receiving their bib number.
The course has hosted two USA men’s Olympic marathon trials in 1980 and again in 1984, along with the World Veteran’s Games marathon in 1995. It’s also a Boston Qualifier.
For more information about the race look here Niagara Falls Half-Marathon and PLEASE wish Dan luck below in the comments (or make a last minute sponsorship of his efforts).
Train for Humanity has been live and online for about five weeks now!
I am still amazed that we get two or three emails on a daily basis from prospective "everyday athletes" and we TRULY appreciate all of the support and kindness that we have received from the larger blogging and social media community.
Considering we created and launched this initiative from scratch and have promoted only with social media, we are quite pleased with the site’s traffic. To date, Train for Humanity has had just about 22,000 pageviews and we have raised $1,200.
Darfur - Latest News
The latest news from Darfur is not promising, in fact, the UN is reporting:
"Recent violence in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region has left at least 40,000 civilians displaced in the last two months alone."
To put things into perspective, 2.5 million Darfuri have already been displaced, which is just about equivalent to the population of Chicago. What would political leaders and the global community do if the (whole) population of Chicago had to suddenly flee because of horrific violence?
Our Training Update - for the past week
Mark Hayward
Mon 10/13: swim 1/2hour; run 5miles
Tue 10/14: Hurricane Omar prep (no workout) Wed 10/15: Hurricane Omar due to hit (no workout)
Thu 10/16: Hurricane Omar MISSED but had to breakdown shutters (no workout)
Fri 10/17: ran 5miles
Sat 10/18: ran 5miles
Dan Clements
Mon 10/13: 5k run
Tue 10/14: 10K bike
Wed 10/15: off
Thu 10/16: 5 k run
Fri 10/17: 18k run - my last long run before the race!
Sat 10/18: off
Leo Babauta
Mon 10/13: 7 miles
Tue 10/14: weights
Wed 10/15: 7 miles w/ 600m intervals
Sick rest of the week (missed a race I wanted to run!) I’m feeling a lot better now and should be running again this week.
Please Note: Dan Clements is running the Niagara Falls Half-Marathon THIS coming Sunday, October 26 for Train for Humanity. That’s 13 miles! If you would like to sponsorDan, Leo Babauta, who is training for the Honolulu Marathon, or Mark Hayward as he prepares for his first triathlon, the Miami Man Olympic Distance, we would truly appreciate your support. ALL of the monies will be going to Darfur Peace & Development. Finally, big thank you to Colleen Wainwright for her kind mention of Train for Humanity and to Mark Salinas for letting me guest post this week.
As many of you know, Wednesday, October 15 is Blog Action Day and this year’s topic is poverty.
Strangely enough, just the other day I learned via an email that Collis Ta’eed, co-founder of Blog Action Day, and I have something in common that helped to shape who we both are today.
Collis and I both lived in Papua New Guinea. And if you have read the story behind how Train for Humanity got its start, you will know, I was deeply affected by my time there.
The purpose of Blog Action Day is to get many voices focusing on the same topic and subject in order to help spread awareness and raise funds. I believe this year they have about 10,000 bloggers writing about poverty.
Though we are not at the same scale yet, Train for Humanity is grounded in the belief that many voices (athlete/bloggers) can have an impact when we join together collectively to get in shape and raise awareness for those who have been affected by genocide.
Poverty
Poverty can be defined as:
The deprivation of common necessities that determine the quality of life, including food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, and may also include the deprivation of opportunities to learn, to obtain better employment to escape poverty, and/or to enjoy the respect of fellow citizens. (source: wikipedia)
If you have spent anytime traveling, you soon come to realize that poverty is not the cause of death but the road that leads to it. However, please note, poverty is not just limited to developing nations. Every time I travel back to the U.S. I am struck by the sheer number of homeless people on the streets.
According to the United Nations, “About 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes. This is one person every three and a half seconds. Unfortunately, it is children who die most often.”
Poverty in Sudan & Darfur
Yesterday, I asked Susan Burgess-Lent, Program Director with Darfur Peace & Development, for some information regarding poverty and the current humanitarian crisis in Darfur. Here is how Susan replied:
Poverty is a big reason for the current crisis in Darfur. It is a kind of poverty so far beyond what most American know - and could have been radically altered 5 years ago if even 50% of the millions of dollars shunted into advocacy had been consistently redirected into programs on the ground that strengthened the health, education and ability of Darfuris chart a way forward.
Within Sudan, “Poverty is deeply entrenched and is largely rural. In 2002 some 20 million people were living below the poverty line of less than US$1 a day. About 19 million people — 85 per cent of the rural population — are estimated to be living in extreme poverty. Most of them struggle to feed themselves and their families and have little or no access to safe drinking water and health services. The United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Index ranks Sudan 61st among the 77 least developed nations in the world.
More than two million have been displaced by the Darfur conflict alone. In addition, erosion, loss of soil fertility and damage to watersheds are affecting resources. Agricultural productivity is decreasing as a result of a lack of technological breakthroughs in rainfed agriculture, and food security and livelihoods are threatened as a result. Malnutrition, tuberculosis and malaria have become rampant. The World Health Organization estimates that 22 per cent of children in the South and Darfur are suffering from acute malnutrition, and the incidence of diarrhea in children may be as high as 45 per cent in southern Sudan.” (source: ruralpoverty.org)
How YOU Can Help
Sometimes when you read about poverty, or other tragic human conditions, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and do nothing to help or let apathy set in.
However, small actions MATTER and they can add up!
Here at Train for Humanity we realize that we will not end the crisis in Darfur, but in launching the project we felt it was time to move beyond pity and do something…Really, we are trying to put the ACTION into Blog Action Day.
Poverty might not exist in your hometown, but maybe it’s prevalent half an hour away from you. Or, maybe you would like to assist the impoverished in another country. Wherever you would like to place your efforts, please do so and someone just might be better off because of it.
The Train for Humanity athletes are still in training for their upcoming events, if you would like to sponsor one of us it is truly appreciated. Though, we also appreciate a blog post or Twitter message equally as much while we are still trying to grow our supporter base.
In closing, below I have included a video of just one of the projects that Darfur Peace & Development is currently working on if you have a second go ahead an view it. Together we CAN make a difference!
When we initially envisioned what types projects Train for Humanity would support through various humanitarian organizations, providing education and resources, especially to orphans, was very high on the list.
However, it never occurred to us to think that we might need to have our training efforts go toward helping to rebuild a school. Especially, one that was bombed, destroyed, and in which six school children were killed.
The Shegegkaro School was the first school built by the Darfur Peace & Development Organization and the following is a synopsis of an article written about the bombing by Eric Reeves:
On May 4, at about 4 p.m., a school was bombed in the village of Shegeg Karo in North Darfur; one classroom was destroyed, killing six students and injuring others. The village marketplace was also bombed, killing several people and destroying most of the shops in this vestige of a shattered agricultural economy.
Who are the victims of this international cowardice? Who suffers when the world refuses to demand justice of those who would deliberately kill children? Let’s at least grant the dignity of names to the victims of this most recent barbarism:
Fatima Suleiman Adam Omar, 3rd grade, 10 years old
Fatima Ahmad Bashir, 2nd grade, 8 years old
Mubarak Mohammed Ahmad, 3rd grade, 10 years old
Yusuf Adam Hamid, kindergarten, 5 years old
Munira Suleiman Adam, 2nd grade, 7 years old
Adam Ahmad Yusuf, 4th grade, 11 years old
The whole world should respond vigorously to a nation that barbarously bombs kindergartners such as Yusuf Adam Hamid. Instead, we lamely bow in deference to Sudan’s “national sovereignty.” Do we have the courage to accept the stark implications of our refusal to hold accountable those responsible for his death? The answer is painfully, disgracefully obvious.
We would really like to be able to provide DPDO with $5,000 at the end of phase one to help reconstruct the school building and we feel that is an achievable goal.
If you would like to sponsor either Leo Babauta, who is training for the Honolulu Marathon, Dan Clements who is getting ready for the Niagara Falls Half-Marathon, or Mark Hayward as he prepares for his first triathlon, the Miami Man Olympic Distance, then we would truly appreciate your support. ALL of the monies will be going to Darfur Peace & Development.
Our Training Update (for the past week)
Dan Clements
Mon 9/29: 5K run
Wed 10/1: 7K run
Fri 10/3: 12K run
Sun 10/5: Our family did a 5K race to raise money for breast cancer research. This was Eve’s first race - she’s 7!
Leo Babauta
Mon 9/29: 9 miles w/ 4 miles @ LT pace
Tue 9/30: yardwork & weights
Wed 10/1: 12 miles
Thu 10/2: yardwork & weights
Fri 10/3: 20 mile long run
Rested on the weekend
Mark Hayward
Mon 9/29: brick workout bike – 10 miles then right into run – 5 miles
Tue 9/30: bike 15 miles
Wed 10/1: Off
Thu 10/2: swim speed work 30min; bike 15 miles; run 5 miles
Fri 10/3: swim 40min; bike – easy five miles; run 4 miles race pace
Rested on the weekend
Blog Action Day Wednesday, October 15th
Times are tough. If you don’t have a spare $1.00, $5.00, or $10.00 to sponsor us that is perfectly understandable, even in the best of economic times. However, Blog Action Day, which is next week, is focusing on poverty this year. Train for Humanity is comprised of bloggers putting the ACTION into Blog Action Day.
Poverty is one of the underlying causes of what is happening in Darfur. If you believe in what Train for Humanity and Blog Action Day are trying to do, you can still have an impact. PLEASE send out a mention TODAY on Twitter (or your favorite social media network) about this post and remember to include Train for Humanity in your Blog Action Day blog post.
The time that you spent here today at Train for Humanity is truly appreciated because without *you* we can’t continue to help spread awareness and raise funds.
Greetings and welcome to the third week of Train for Humanity (Sept 23 - Sept 30) and our project to raise awareness and funds for Darfur Peace & Development Organization. Before I launch into the update I first wanted to thank the following amazing people for writing about us or linking to Train for Humanity this past week:
Additionally, I was fortunate to guest post on both Chris Brogan’s blog and ProBlogger during the past week. They have a combined reader base of almost 60,000 people!
To all, your support is greatly appreciated because without you we can’t spread our message or accomplish what we are trying to achieve.
Week three of training for Leo, Dan, and I:
Leo Babauta – training for the Honolulu Marathon on December 14th.
Tue 9/23: weights + 2-mile run
Wed 9/24: 11-mile medium-long run
Thu 9/25: yardwork workout
Sat 9/27: 17-mile long run
Mon 9/29: 9-mile run w/ 4 miles @ LT pace
Dan Clements - training for the Niagara Falls Half Marathon on October 26th.
Mon 9/22: 5K run
Tue 9/23: 5K run
Wed 9/24: 10K run
Fri 9/26: one hour yoga
Sat: 9/27: weight workout
Mark Hayward - participating in the Miami Man Olympic Distance Triathlon on November 9th.
Mon 9/22: swim - 1/2hour speed work, run 5 miles
Tue 9/23: bike - 10 miles, run 5 miles
Wed 9/24: swim 40 minutes
Fri 9/26: swim 1/2 mile, run 1/2 hour speed work
Sun: 9/28: bike 15 miles, run 4 miles easy
Mon: 9/29 brick workout (back to back) bike 10 miles, run 5 miles
Sponsorship has been slow lately but we are REALLY inspired by the number of people who have expressed an interest in becoming Train for Humanity participant athletes.
After an encouraging first week with about 60 people emailing to say that they would really like to become a participant athlete, Train for Humanity has survived week two (Sept 15 - Sept 22) of our project to raise awareness and funds for Darfur.
Dan Clements, Leo Babauta, and I continue to train for our various endurance events and I actually had some of the best workouts that I have had in almost a year last week.
How did we do after week two?
Dan Clements - training for the Niagara Falls Half Marathon on October 26th.
Mon: 5 k run
Tue: 20 k bike
Wed: 8 k run
Sat: My daughter’s seventh birthday party. Short distances, but easily the most tiring event of the week. :)
Sun : 5K
Leo Babauta – training for the Honolulu Marathon on December 14th.
Mon: - ran 7 miles
Tue: - ran 2.5 miles, did heavy yardwork, strength training
Wed: - ran 8 miles
Fri: - long run 14 miles
Sat: - bodyweight strength training
Mon: - ran 7.5 miles w/ intervals
Mark Hayward - participating in the Miami Man Olympic Distance Triathlon on November 9th.
Mon: - swim 1/2hour, run 40 minutes
Tue: – bike 1 hour
Wed: – rain, nothing
Thu: – swim 45 mintues, bike 2 hour, run 1 hour
Fri: - swim 1/2 hour, run 40 minutes
Sat: – torrential rain
Sun: – torrential rain
Mon: – swim ½ hour, run 4 miles
Train for Humanity Around the Web
In case you missed it, last week on Train for Humanity we had a moving guest post by Susan Burgess-Lent on the current humanitarian crisis in Darfur. If you haven’t done so, please go and have a read - Is Darfur Invisible?
We would also like to thank the blogs linked to us. Here are the posts:
After five and a half years of genocidal predations in Darfur, it may appear that nothing is being done to end the crisis. This would be a correct assumption, both in terms of political response and in terms of media coverage.
Recent major developments include the first indictment of a sitting president (Sudan’s Omer Bashir) on crimes against humanity, a coup attempt in Khartoum, the murder by government forces of at least 37 civilians in Darfur’s largest camp for Internally Displaced Persons, and the renewed bombing of villages in North Darfur. Where but on BBC can you see this news in America?
The Government of Sudan has tried to buy inroads into US policy with an offer of oil concessions in Darfur. The shooting match has begun over whether it would be a good idea to forget about Bashir’s indictment for the time being – that it somehow interferes with the imaginary peace process.
After a promise of 26,000 peacekeepers, barely 9,000 are deployed in Darfur. They have a lot of trouble getting around because the world’s military powers were not able to spare more than three helicopters. Despite the peacekeepers’ management change from African Union to UN, there has been no improvement on the ground in security and protection. It is, in fact, deteriorating.
Meanwhile, a lot of people and organizations are dug in with comfortable incomes, or a cause celebre, as long as the conflict continues.
Too many journalists remain uninformed of the momentous implications — for many global issues — of the Darfur crisis. They fail to recognize the pieces of a vast, complex cautionary tale for our time, playing out in lives needlessly lost. The few journalists who do see “breaking news” in Darfur often can’t get it past their producers or editors.
External Aid
The US government has provided $3 billion dollars in aid to Darfur since 2004, much of it in donated food staples. One result is nearly 3 million Darfuris who will be “food-aid dependent” for several years.
Many countries funnel their relief funds through a UN-controlled pipeline known as the Common Humanitarian Fund. In 2008, the CHF distributed nearly $30 million for programs in Darfur. Only $50,000 - just .2% - went to Darfuri organizations. The UN‘s agencies and major INGOs (International Non-Governmental Organizations) like CARE and Save the Children took the lion’s share. After 5 years, “capacity building” within indigenous organization is still a myth.
In practice, Darfuri organizations working shoulder to shoulder with their international counterparts are often treated like backward outsiders in their own country.
In their September situation report, the U.S. Agency for International Development USAID writes “ …partners have noted problematic indicators and signs of reduced coping mechanisms in affected communities, including increased food prices, decreased amounts of food in markets, and an increase in day laborers trying to earn money to buy food.”
The Sudanese are supremely adaptable and inventive people. Consider that it’s taken a full five years to wear them to a desolate wash of humanity. One wonders how much the Darfuris must endure before they are irretrievably broken. This end would suit perfectly the desires of Sudan’s ruling regime.
A recent posting of a video of DPDO’s Schools of Peace brought this response:
“For pete’s sake somebody needs to help Darfur.”
Of course, that “somebody” should well be the writer — and anyone who cares that fellow human beings are being slaughtered, raped and left homeless over a real estate dispute, an ideologically motivated land grab by greedy men with no interest in governing beyond amassing power and personal wealth.
What to do?
Effective programs have been launched by Darfuri humanitarian organizations. This is where the best response can be directed. Strengthening Darfuri leadership and organizations strengthens the health, education and livelihoods of families - the heart of the culture. Peace can come only from this.
If the situation were reversed – if you lived under a tarp drinking dirty water, on a 1500 calorie/day diet (if that), with no defense against marauding militia, you’d want a few committed helpers on your side while you set things right. Individually and collectively, we have to be those helpers.
We don’t have the luxury of claiming compassion-fatigue over Darfur. Time runs short for the survivors.
Susan Burgess-Lent is Program Director of Darfur Peace and Development Organization (DPDO), a Darfuri-led non-profit that supports fifteen elementary schools, a women’s center, and solar cooker training in Darfur camps and towns. She can be reached at Susan@DarfurPeace.org
November 16th, 2008
by Mark Hayward
(12 Comments)
November 3rd, 2008
by 
Leo Babauta – training for the Honolulu Marathon on December 14th.
